Features About Ervin Somogyi

“It probably won’t come as much of a surprise that the man who made this collection of boxes spends most of his time building guitars and lutes. Musicians may know Ervin Somgyi of Berkeley, Calif as a maker of fine acoustic guitars.”

A Luthier’s Rosettes Become Artwork in Their Own Right“Woodwork” #28, July-August 1993

“One aspect of his superb craftsmanship that has developed a life of its own is the ornamentation lavished on many of his instruments.”

“His honors include being named in the ‘Best Luthier’ category for four years in Frets Magazine’s national poll [and] having a guitar judged as ‘best sounding’ in listening tests conducted at Boston University…”

“There’s no room to go very far with a rosette design on an actual instrument, so I’ve turned to boxes—and now to this wall chest—’to give me the chance to explore larger and more intricate forms.'”

Carved Lid Boxes
Award Winning Wood Boxes – by Tony Lydgate, 1995

“Instruments in the guitar and lute family possess a circular sound hole, traditionally decorated with an inlaid or carved rosette. Somogyi uses his extraordinary skill as a designer and carver to turn this decoration into an art form all its own”

Frets Look at The Somogyi Dreadnought Cutaway“Frets” February 1980

“Ervin Somogyi is a California-based luthier with an excellent reputation for high-quality handmade guitars.”

Ervin Somogyi: Small Jumbo“Player Magazine” (Japan) #384, 1998

“When one compares steel string guitars with classical guitars, steel string guitars are usually found to be less well made than classicals. Some important processes in the making can be skipped in the case of steel strings. But I think Somogyi’s guitars are the first steel string guitars to have the quality of well made classical guitars. I think they the quality of the best made classical guitars.”

Gallery of Woodwork (Photo Feature)
“Woodwork” #30, December 1994

Frets Look at The Somogyi Dreadnought“Frets” January 1984

“Our sample Somogyi Dreadnought’s composite score of 93.7 is among the highest we’ve awarded any guitar in the past year. In playing tests, we were impressed with the guitar’s playability and balance and its broad range of tone color.”

Sound for Art’s Sake“Nikon World” Vol 5. #2, Spring 1994

“…really fine guitars don’t come off the assembly line — they are hand-crafted out of cedar and spruce with rare characteristics that come together to create the elusive sound required of the instrument.”